The List

by Alice Ward

  “Of course. I can’t believe he did something so stupid. Actually, no. Scratch that. I can believe it.”

  Davis sighed. “He’s still young. And he doesn’t have as much riding on the line as we do. If he gets involved in a scandal, all it’ll mean for him is an embarrassing headline in the New York Post. Fuck, that might even make him happy. It would stroke his ego.”

  “He doesn’t have businesses to think about,” I murmured.

  “Exactly.”

  We didn’t have to discuss precisely why Seth was playing with fire. No one was allowed in our shared office. No one. The exception was the maid who cleaned it, and she only entered the room when one of us were available to supervise. Tucked away in that office, on one small but dangerous hard drive, was the biggest secret of the four of our lives.

  If the list were to be leaked, it would be disastrous. Like Davis said, Seth could probably ride the repercussions out, but the rest of us wouldn’t be able to. It would be straight-up character assassination. Our reputations would tank, and along with them, our businesses. We’d be done for in every way possible.

  “I’ll text him right now,” I promised.

  As soon as we hung up, I sent Seth a text and told him to meet me at the club in thirty minutes. It was the middle of the workday, but that didn’t mean jack shit to Seth. If he wasn’t still in bed, he was probably at some girl’s apartment or snorting coke at The Plaza.

  The timing happened to be somewhat good. I felt eager to get out of the office and find something to do, so I rushed over to Enigma and let myself in. No one was there yet, not even the security guards or the bartender. The place was guaranteed to be empty for a few more hours.

  While waiting, I checked the bar over, just to make sure everything was in working order and looking good. There was a leak in one of the sinks, so I grabbed the toolbox from the broom closet and took care of it. Working with my hands always proved to be a nice change of pace. It was kind of meditative in a way, helping to clear my head and relax me. I was probably too worked up to rationally talk to Seth right then anyway, so taking time to cool my jets was a good idea.

  Seth arrived fifteen minutes late, an annoyed look on his face.

  “What’s up?” he asked, taking a seat at the bar.

  “I talked to Davis.”

  Seth groaned. “I don’t need you to play Daddy too. I already got my lecture from him.”

  I crossed my arms and glared at him. “And I’m sure you took it oh so seriously.”

  He defiantly lifted his chin. “Speaking of being serious, you both take things too seriously, man. So what? I took a girl into the office. She was there to give me a blowjob, not hack our computer system. This chick locked herself out of her iPhone. Trust me, if you’d seen her, you would know she wasn’t any trouble.”

  “That’s not the point. Something could have happened.”

  “Like what?”

  “She could have seen something.”

  “The computer wasn’t open. It’s never open.”

  “But it could have been!” I slammed my fist down onto the bar. “It could have been!”

  Seth’s face grew red. “You need to chill.”

  I pointed my finger at him. “And you need to grow up. Start thinking about others for once. It’s not just this group you put in danger with every action you make, it’s your family.”

  A long moment passed. Seth knew what I was getting at. His parents were the crème de la crème of Manhattan’s upper class. His mother had been one of the most famous supermodels of the eighties and his father, after two stints as a senator, currently invested in everything from fast-food chains to film production companies. People knew who they were, and people were watching. All. The. Time.

  Seth worked his jaw around, looking like he was about to retaliate again, but instead, he shook his head. “Fine. I won’t do it again.” He stood up. “Thanks for bringing me all the way over here just for this. Next time I’m in trouble, maybe you can skip ahead and just call my parents.”

  He left without another word, letting the front door slam loudly behind him. Anger filled me and blurred my vision.

  “Fuck!”

  With no one there to hear it, my curse echoed in the empty club. I pressed my palms against the cool bar and steadied my breathing. I needed to do something before I exploded. If it were nighttime, I would find a deserving guy on the floor and have security send him outside so I could pummel the shit out of him. Since it was only noon, I didn’t have that option. It would be hard to find an out of line perv in the corner Starbucks.

  But there was one other thing that I knew would calm me down for sure. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled my phone out and called Riley.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Riley

  My phone began ringing just as I busted out a fresh box of cereal. Since it was the middle of the day, Ann-Marie was at work, leaving me home all alone. That meant the plan was Netflix and napping on the couch until my shift at the bar started. Oh, and trying not to think about Xavier.

  I left the cereal box on the counter and went into my room to check the phone. My heart did a flip and flew all the way into my throat. It was him. Calling me the same day I’d left his penthouse.

  Did I do something wrong? Did I not lock the door on my way out? Did he come home and see I’d looked in the box under his bed?

  It was the middle of the day and Xavier was probably extremely busy. He couldn’t be checking in just to see how I was doing.

  With my heart pounding away, I pressed the answer button. “Hello?”

  “Can you meet me at the club?” His voice sounded tight and anxious. The pounding in my chest transformed into an even more extreme form of worry. Something was definitely not right.

  “When? Tonight?”

  “No, right now.”

  I paused, but really, I already knew what I would say. After the night before, there was no hope of me ever being able to say no to Xavier Fields again. “Sure. I’ll leave in a few. Is everything all right?”

  “Yes… yes, everything is fine. Did you have a good time last night?”

  His question drizzled my body in warmth. “Yeah, I had a great time.”

  “So did I. Should I send a car to pick you up?”

  “No, thanks. I’ll just leave now and take the train.”

  By the time I arrived at Enigma, I was even more confused than I’d been when Xavier called me. In one second, I went from thinking I might never hear from the man again to having him call me up and ask to see me the afternoon after our first date.

  I tried the club’s front door, just on the off chance that it was unlocked, and found it giving under my touch. I tentatively made my way down the short hall, my footsteps obnoxiously echoing the whole way.

  The second door opened before I had a chance to touch it. Xavier stood there in front of me, dressed in a suit and looking even better than I remembered him. His deep purple tie was loosened, and his hair pushed up in the middle, like he’d been running his hands through it. The sight of him looking professional yet undone ignited a fire between my legs.

  “Hi,” he said.

  I had to take a fresh breath before responding. Xavier looking so good had my body forgetting how to breathe on its own. “Hey.”

  He stepped out of the way and allowed me to enter. Enigma seemed like a different place with no one else around. The stage and couches sat lonely, waiting for people to come and fill them up.

  “Have a seat,” Xavier offered, gesturing to the bar.

  I settled into a spot on the end. It felt almost like dèjá vu, sitting in the same space as when I’d first seen Xavier. That was only a few nights before, but it already seemed like it happened in another lifetime. He was a stranger then, and now he was… well, I wasn’t sure. I didn’t completely know him yet, but I did feel tied to him in a strange, and probably dangerous, way.

  The danger part both scared and thrilled me. My time with Xavier had been amazing, but I also felt a
fraid because I didn’t know what was coming next. That fear kept me on my toes. It kept me wanting more.

  “You often come here this early?” I asked, setting my backpack on the floor. I’d brought my work clothes with me in case I didn’t have time to run home before my shift started. It looked like I wouldn’t be getting that nap in, but I was okay with that. A little bit of time spent with Xavier was absolutely worth it.

  Xavier opened his mouth, then hesitated. “No,” he tartly replied. “Not usually. I had some business to tend to here. I didn’t have to rush back to the office, and I thought… about you.” His eyes settled on mine, sending electricity shooting across my skin.

  I spoke without thinking. “I was thinking about you too.”

  My own declaration sounded so emotional compared to his. I bit down on my tongue to prevent myself from saying anything else too revealing. But Xavier didn’t seem to mind. His lips pursed like he was trying not to smile.

  “That’s exactly what I needed to hear.”

  I cocked my head and studied him — really studied him for the first time since getting to Enigma. I couldn’t properly explain it, but there was a story in his eyes. He was pained or upset about something. Had he been like this the night before? Had I just not noticed?

  “Is everything all right?”

  He blinked so hard it was almost a flinch. “What do you mean?”

  “I… just wondering. It kind of seems like something might have happened.”

  “No,” he said, his voice projecting confidence again. “Everything is fine. I just wanted to see you. Is there something wrong with that?”

  He stepped closer and pressed his broad hand against the small of my back. Heat exploded in my core, and all thoughts and musings left me. My brain became a melted mess. All I knew and understood was Xavier’s touch.

  My eyes drifted closed as he dropped his face to my neck. “Have you been thinking about my hands on you?” he whispered in my ear.

  “Yes,” I nearly moaned. My knees started to shake. I’d lost all control of my body. It was a good thing I was already sitting down because I doubted I could handle standing in that moment. Xavier’s free hand dropped to my stool. There was a sharp scraping noise as he pulled it toward him. His legs brushed against the outside of mine, locking me in. Teeth gently pressed into the skin of my neck. Releasing myself to what was happening, I closed my eyes the rest of the way as pleasure flooded my body.

  Xavier’s fingers pushed under my t-shirt and worked their way up my back, carving a delicious path. I tilted my chin upwards and met his lips. His kiss came on strong and hot, almost like an attack. It was exactly what I wanted. I was pounding with desire, so close to feverish that sitting there in my clothes was becoming painful.

  As we kissed, I dug my fingers into Xavier’s shirt and pulled at his tie. He grabbed my bottom lip between his teeth and tugged. A moan slithered out of me, a noise unlike any I’d ever made. Every time Xavier touched me, my whole body responded. It wasn’t just the place where we made skin on skin contact that I felt pleasure. It was a whole body sensation. When just one of his fingers grazed my skin, each one of my nerves screamed with joy. It was no wonder he’d been on my mind nonstop all morning. There was no one like Xavier Fields. And there never would be.

  Xavier’s kiss became more frantic as he pulled my t-shirt over my head and tossed it to the floor. The unlocked front door briefly rose in my mind, but a second later, it disappeared. Xavier’s mouth had found my bra, and his teeth bit one of my nipples through the fabric. I pressed his head closer to my chest and arched my back.

  Two strong hands locked onto my waist and lifted me away from the chair. With one swift move, Xavier deposited me on top of the bar. My legs hung over the side and my heels kicked against the wood. Xavier stood up straight and undid the button and zipper on my jeans. Two fingers slipped through the opening and pressed against my panties. Pleasure filled me, wild and unrelenting. I pawed at Xavier’s shirt, eager to undo the buttons and get my hands on the tight muscles that waited for me there.

  “You’re feisty,” Xavier breathlessly said. “I knew you would be.”

  “Only with you,” I gasped. Once more, it was probably a more revealing statement than I would make if I were in a right mind, but in that moment, I was nowhere close to sane.

  “I’m going to do so much to you,” Xavier said in a low voice, like it was more to himself than to me.

  I briefly stopped grabbing at him. “Like tie me up?”

  His eyes flashed with pleasure. “You’re asking for it?”

  “I found your box. The one under your bed.” I realized how the news sounded, and quickly tried to backtrack. “I wasn’t going through your stuff. My bra was under the bed and...”

  “You liked it,” he said in a darker tone. He didn’t sound displeased, though. He was excited. Thrilled, maybe. I could see it on his face.

  Xavier’s mouth tackled mine again, his tongue forcing its way across my own. He went back to my pants, pulling them off and dropping them on the floor. The second they were fully removed, he pushed my panties to the side. One finger slipped inside of me and probed my entrance. His touch deep in me sent me over the edge. While we kissed and he fingered me, I ran my hands over the bulge in his pants. Frantically, I unbuckled the belt and released Xavier’s pulsing length.

  The heat coming off his dick was so strong I could swear it nearly burned my palm. I stroked the underside of it, enjoying the silkiness. Xavier rummaged in his pocket and pulled something out. There was a crinkling, and a few seconds later, he had a condom on.

  We didn’t skip a beat. Xavier pushed into me with perfect precision, stretching my walls and sending pleasure rippling through me. Fast stroke after fast stroke hit me. My bare ass slid along the wooden bar, and my shoes hit its side with heavy thuds. I opened my mouth as wide as I could, accepting Xavier’s tongue on mine as easily as I accepted his thrusts.

  His hands made their way down my back to grip the top of my ass. He held onto me so tightly that it began to pain. Oddly enough, it wasn’t uncomfortable, though. It was perfect. Everything about what was happening was wild and almost… violent. I felt like an animal. I felt like I wasn’t even in control of my own body. I’d let loose in a way I never had before.

  Xavier’s mouth broke away from mine and found my shoulder. He buried his teeth in the meatiest part there and sucked hard. I let my head fall back as a groan ripped through me. The pleasure in me spun like a ball of fire. His hands still on my rear, Xavier pushed his whole weight against me as he thrust, jarring our bodies from the force. I sealed my eyes shut and exploded.

  The pleasure went on and on, shooting into my toes and stealing my breath as orgasms racked through me, one on top of the other. Xavier groaned and tensed. I felt the jerking of his length deep in me, and then his heavy exhale against my neck.

  He slowly leaned back and looked at me. “That’s just what I needed.”

  My heart tightened. “I thought you said nothing was wrong.”

  In a millisecond, his face went from relaxed to guarded, like he slipped a mask on. “Nothing’s wrong. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t need this.”

  I nodded. “All right.”

  The twisting in my chest was still there. Xavier was hiding something. His face might have been cool and passive, but pain and fear existed in his eyes. For the second time in five minutes, I was reminded of animals. When they were hurt, they were the most afraid. The most aggressive.

  Xavier gingerly pulled away from me, picked up my pants, and handed them over. “Do you want to go get cleaned up?”

  My tongue felt thick as I answered. “Sure.”

  Going into the women’s bathroom, I wiped myself off with paper towels and splashed cool water on my face. I knew I shouldn’t be concerned over Xavier not sharing everything with me. Jesus, we’d only met a few days before. I didn’t expect his life story or his deepest, darkest secrets.

  But it was the way that he so easily
claimed nothing was wrong that got to me. His response seemed almost reflexive, like he would have given it no matter what I asked. Even though I inquired in such a casual way, he still couldn’t be honest with me. Healthy, well-adjusted people shared things about their lives. And not just with the women they were having sex with. With everyone. It was just a normal thing to do. Xavier’s resistance to sharing anything was a warning sign, and I knew it.

  And yet it still didn’t matter. The man waiting for me outside that bathroom had already snared me in his trap. Just like I’d been afraid of, I’d been captivated and seduced. There was no getting away until he made the decision and cut the thread.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Xavier

  No more debating. I powered down my laptop and took a look around my office. With the weekend’s retreat booked and both mine and Riley’s schedules cleared, it was settled. The two of us were going away together from Saturday morning to Sunday evening.

  I’d taken trips with women before. Not often more than one or two with any woman, and never prolonged ones. Taking a weekend with Riley would be bittersweet. While it was guaranteed to be an amazing time and probably the high point of our relationship, it was also sure to be the beginning of the end.

  If you counted the escapade at the club on Monday, which I did, this weekend trip would be my third date with Riley. Any more than that, and we would get dangerously close to relationship territory. And I didn’t do relationships. It was for a variety of reasons, but all of them equally important. I was a busy man. I didn’t have time for drama, and I didn’t have the need to be tied down. It was why the list my friends and I created existed in the first place.

  One good weekend…

  One good weekend, and I’d have to think about reining things in with Riley. But until then, I was free to enjoy her soft, tight body… her silken pussy… her musical laughter.

  We hadn’t spoken all week, other than when I texted to ask her to join me on our trip, and it was good. Showing Riley constant attention would give her the wrong idea about the two of us. Sure, we got along more than I had with most women. Her company was preferable to even most men’s. There was a lightness that she brought to the table. But that didn’t change things. Dating for me was still merely fun. Once it started becoming anything other than that, things inevitably had to end. And swiftly.